Smartcraft Connect was announced earlier this year - https://www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/gauges-and-controls/gauges-displays/smartcraft-connect/
The premise is to completely duplicate Vessel View functionality on either Raymarine or Garmin MFD's. This presumably includes fault codes and control functions not now available with existing N2K converters and gateways.
Anyway, being something of an early adopter and looking to save dash real estate, I bought a Smartcraft Connect as soon as I saw one available online at the price of about a boat buck.
I didn't realize (although it was in the fine print) that the the unit needs to activated by a dealer. The activation process involves a dedicated app that's protected by codes only a dealer would have, but beyond that, the only configuration seems to be entering the number of engines with respective serial numbers. I was easily able to install it myself; the unit powers up, LED indicators are blinking and the device shows up on my N2K bus. It's beyond me why Mercury went away from the self-install model used on earlier Vessel View and gateway installs.
I contacted a nearby shop (Sea Ray dealer) to schedule activation. First, they are busy to the extent that a couple of hours at my boat didn't excite them. Perhaps more important, as we went over the install process, it turns out the codes required aren't something used regularly if at all by at least my dealer. The shop foreman did call Mercury and probably could have sorted out the required inputs but was also told there was a glitch with diesels that would probably cause the activation to fail but that a patch was coming. So, we're on hold and I haven't pressed the dealer one way or another for a couple of months.
I've since learned that all installs have been failing. A firmware update was released last week that was supposed to fix it. Beyond that, it's not clear that Garmin's side of the software is working correctly or that the diesel issue is fixed.
Anyway, I'm writing this as a cautionary tale for any members who might think about putting one of these on their winter buying list. Perhaps the firmware update will enable more installations and dealers will learn better how to do it. If the units do appear to be working, I would line up a dealer in advance and couple the install with a yard visit for other things knowing what I know now. If I can achieve a successful activation I'll certainly post those results.
The premise is to completely duplicate Vessel View functionality on either Raymarine or Garmin MFD's. This presumably includes fault codes and control functions not now available with existing N2K converters and gateways.
Anyway, being something of an early adopter and looking to save dash real estate, I bought a Smartcraft Connect as soon as I saw one available online at the price of about a boat buck.
I didn't realize (although it was in the fine print) that the the unit needs to activated by a dealer. The activation process involves a dedicated app that's protected by codes only a dealer would have, but beyond that, the only configuration seems to be entering the number of engines with respective serial numbers. I was easily able to install it myself; the unit powers up, LED indicators are blinking and the device shows up on my N2K bus. It's beyond me why Mercury went away from the self-install model used on earlier Vessel View and gateway installs.
I contacted a nearby shop (Sea Ray dealer) to schedule activation. First, they are busy to the extent that a couple of hours at my boat didn't excite them. Perhaps more important, as we went over the install process, it turns out the codes required aren't something used regularly if at all by at least my dealer. The shop foreman did call Mercury and probably could have sorted out the required inputs but was also told there was a glitch with diesels that would probably cause the activation to fail but that a patch was coming. So, we're on hold and I haven't pressed the dealer one way or another for a couple of months.
I've since learned that all installs have been failing. A firmware update was released last week that was supposed to fix it. Beyond that, it's not clear that Garmin's side of the software is working correctly or that the diesel issue is fixed.
Anyway, I'm writing this as a cautionary tale for any members who might think about putting one of these on their winter buying list. Perhaps the firmware update will enable more installations and dealers will learn better how to do it. If the units do appear to be working, I would line up a dealer in advance and couple the install with a yard visit for other things knowing what I know now. If I can achieve a successful activation I'll certainly post those results.
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